NYC Photographer, Caitlyn Gaurano—Joining Mindful Connections and Photography
Image of Caitlyn Gaurano.
Interview by: Alana Eastling
Editor: Jeni Fjelstad
Creative Direction: Catie Menke
Picture an Instagram profile of a sweet grandma — featuring photos and videos of her family, her spunky spirit, delightful little smile, and stylish rose-tinted glasses. At first glance, this is the wholesome content I favor to fill my feed. Allow me to introduce you to the artist responsible for this charming account and how documenting her Lola (grandmother in Tagalog) represents the catalyst to her work.
Caitlyn Gaurano is a first-generation Filipina-American editorial and portrait photographer, spotlighting Black and Indigenous people, persons of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community through her lens. Her photos celebrate each subject, capturing their unique power, passion, and expression. She is also one of the founders of Mindful Creatives NYC, a collective of artists and entrepreneurs seeking intentional creation and collaboration.
Image by: Caitlyn Gaurano. Model: Manuela @_mangoviche.
I was drawn to Caitlyn’s charismatic work by the aesthetic contrast between the soft, dreamy tones of the image and the powerful demeanor of her subjects. Although her work features a snapshot of a moment, the movement and life present in her portraits translate the stories and emotions of her subjects.
Caitlyn’s love for community sparked her interest in photography. She sees taking photos as an avenue to meet new creatives and her camera as the tool to enshrine their expression. After growing up in the suburbs of San Diego and attending fashion school in Los Angeles, Caitlyn was attracted to the diverse people and lifestyles she saw in New York City. It was a revelation to see the possibilities of a thriving creative life.
“You can do whatever you want,” she mused. “You can dream big, as long as you work hard and really go for it. And I thought that was extremely motivating and inspiring.”
Influenced by street photography, Caitlyn was drawn to the creative process of cataloging ephemeral moments through film.
Street Photography by: Caitlyn Gaurano.
“At first, I was taking photos of memories of my experience in New York. I really wanted to preserve that. I [could] take photos of my friends, and I started making my own shoots with them. And [that’s how] I got to know them better. I just really loved that process,” she reflected. “I was able to learn about someone on a very personal level, and the camera was a way for me to do that.”
Caitlyn is intentional about building relationships with the people she shoots. She believes it is important to collaborate from a place of confidence and authenticity. She begins her creative process by initiating a dialogue with the subject to feel out potential for a creative partnership and to get a sense of the way the subject portrays themself.
Image by: Caitlyn Gaurano. Model: Janet @janetojoseph.
“That’s where [the] real connection begins. When we get to know each other, we’ll start collaborating on ideas of what we want to do and then get into it.” This develops a synergy allowing for organic creation. As Caitlyn describes it, “you can shoot the [original] idea, but now you have a little more freedom to have fun. You can improvise because both of you feel so comfortable together.”
Caitlyn brings her mindfulness practice to her photography career although she initially developed it to move through her depressive states. Prior to pursuing photography, she felt out of touch with her work and with the person she felt she was becoming.
“I had to reexamine how I walk in the world [and] who I am as a person. And I'm still doing that work today because [...] of my traumas, maybe, and insecurities. I'm still working on myself.”
Starting with therapy and yoga, Caitlyn focused her energy on discovering ways to ground herself. She observed what connected her to the now rather than dwelling on her past or future.
“Because I was taking care of my mind and body, I was able to really focus on creating.”
Caitlyn’s creative process, once a tool for connection, made navigating the pandemic as an artist quite difficult. She and Maij Aladesuyi, a sommelier and multi-hyphenate creative, founded Mindful Creatives NYC earlier this spring to provide a space for in-person community.
Alluding to the origin of the name, she stressed how important mindfulness is to her work and how this is supported by her practice of tending to her mental health consciously. She noticed a multitude of different artists using similar language as they described utilizing consciousness as a tool to bring them back to the present moment to create. Motivated to create a space for these types of artists to gather and engage in collaborative projects, Caitlyn and Maij launched the collective’s first curated experience — pairing wine with works from various local artists — to assemble “like-minded individuals that are also on the path of doing the work [on themselves and] their mental health, in order to create or just to be a better person in the world.”
Image by: @asianboysbrand.
Mindful Creatives NYC’s first event was a huge success, and the founders have many ideas for how this group will continue engaging with the community.
With her work, Caitlyn elevates stories from and showcases beauty within the LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, and POC community. Caitlyn’s mission is resistance to the lack of representation in mainstream media.
“Our voices andour stories [have been] dimmed, and we’re really trying to work on shedding more light.” But Caitlyn is also workingtowards providing a different kind of representation. “I think it’s good we’re creating content that reminds us of our history, but why does it have to be such a traumatic experience? Why can’t we have fun, lighthearted loves, romances, and cool stories that are [just as] good.”
Caitlyn organically brought this mission to life in one of her first amateur portrait profiles, sharing the beauty and simplistic authenticity of her Lola on Instagram. Caitlyn is motivated by Lola Vi’s experiences immigrating to America, the hard work she devoted to bringing her dreams to life, and her dedication to building a legacy every day. Caitlyn appreciates the tradition of strong, close relationships of family, rooted in her Filipina heritage.
She described the practice of “keeping [familial] relationships [with] not just your siblings, but your cousins [and extended family]. Living with my grandma, she always was calling up her family every day, visiting [them], bringing them over for dinner, taking trips with them. I love that I was always surrounded by them. She connected all of us together.”
Through Caityln’s creativity for expanding, empowering, and celebrating her community, Lola Vi’s legacy of connection carries on.
Thank you, Caitlyn, for your generosity and vulnerability in our conversation. Your commitment to showing up for yourself speaks to your resilience. The courage in your determination of creating the life you believe in is invigorating, and your talent for visual storytelling is a powerful gift to your community.
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